Application of genetic algorithm for overcurrent relay coordination

This paper describes a new systematic power system overcurrent protection grading method based on genetic algorithm (GAs). The GA is a optimization method used to overcome the problems of classical optimization methods. The classical optimization methods such as steeper-decant and nonlinear programming have limitations in searching for absolute optimal settings and sometimes trapped local optimal settings as the initial guess settings had bias. The proposed method has the innovative feature of finding the optimum relay settings which cannot be achieved by present available methods